Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Travel :: Tuscan Hill Towns Part II


Oh Tuscany, how you have won my heart.  One of my favorite aspects of the six days we spent there last month was visiting the quaint little hill towns {see previous post about Pienza, Montepulciano, and Montalcino here}.  Over the six days we had the opportunity to visit two more adorable villages.

Castellina was tiny and quiet.  We spent about an hour wandering the streets and climbed up to the top of the town to see the ancient Etruscan Tombs from the 7th Century B.C. {which I will admit were very, very creepy}.  The Tuscan light was an absolute dream, casting a golden glow onto the beautiful old town.  It was lovely finding a town that was almost completely deserted of tourists {at least in the morning} and sipping cappuccinos in the square listening to the beautiful Italian language. 


After Castellina we visited the famous medieval town of San Gimignano, known for the fourteen towers that make up its ancient "skyline."  While it was definitely more touristy that Castellina it was absolutely stunning, and being a little larger made for more opportunities to get lost on the windy roads.  We spent the first hour simply wandering around admiring the quiet streets and beautiful buildings.  We stumbled upon the most fantastic little eatery for lunch, Cum Quibus {which I later found out was the highest rated restaurant in the city}.  We dined outside in their tiny courtyard and since we had the pleasure of being in Tuscany during truffle season we both ordered from the restaurant's special truffle menu - Ryan choosing the duck with truffles and myself a homemade pasta with shaved black truffles and brown butter sauce.  The food was fantastic {the best lunch we had in Italy} and made that much more memorable when the waiter started walking around with the biggest black truffle I have ever seen, shaving more and more onto our meal every few minutes.  I loved the dish so much that I almost ordered another, but instead decided to wait to get gelato instead.  Before we left I climbed to the top of San Gimignano's tallest tower for a wonderful view of the city and the Tuscan countryside in the distance...what a dream.

11 comments:

  1. Absolutely gorgeous pics! We went to Italy this summer... and I miss it already!

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  2. Tiny little sidewalk cafes in small alleys are my favorite. They always lure me in, even if it is just for a cup of coffee! Great pictures!

    http://liveitinerantly.com

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  3. Gosh this is killing me!!!! I need to get out of the USA ASAP.... Gorg photos girl! And great story telling. :)

    Http://streetlily.blogspot.com

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  4. I went to that medieval town while we did our wine tour. It was a great little place to explore.

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  5. Black truffle pasta, oh my! Keep the travel pics coming! xo

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  6. Short and Sweet BlogOctober 24, 2013 at 12:21 AM

    Those little Tuscan towns are incredible. So quaint and charming.

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  7. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 29, 2013 at 9:32 AM

    i know, i seriously could have spent a few weeks simply exploring them. there are SO many and they are all special in their own way.

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  8. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 29, 2013 at 9:32 AM

    oh yes, the truffle pasta was definitely my favorite in italy. note to self: next time i visit italy, make sure it is in truffle season again :)

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  9. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 29, 2013 at 9:33 AM

    oh how fun! we visited a couple of wineries but didn't do an actual wine tour, i bet that was a wonderful experience.

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  10. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 29, 2013 at 9:33 AM

    i am already ready to go back!

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  11. Molly {Dreams in HD}October 29, 2013 at 9:34 AM

    me too jessica! thanks for stopping by :)

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